


Three's Company

by momjeansenthusiast



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Banter, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Cedric Diggory Lives, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Good Draco Malfoy, Gryffindor Reader, Love Triangles, Minor Cho Chang/Cedric Diggory, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Reader is a Gryffindor, Slow Burn, TikTok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:27:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26238598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momjeansenthusiast/pseuds/momjeansenthusiast
Summary: Order of the Phoenix AU:Beginning the start of your fifth year at Hogwarts, you are excited for you and your best mates, Ron, Harry, and Hermione to move on from the chaos of the end of the previous term. But when a certain blond Slytherin begins to catch feelings, what will you do when your old crush, Cedric, wakes up from a coma, and asks for you.While Harry, Ron, and Hermione are organizing Dumbledore's Army, you're trapped in a tri-wizard love triangle. Will Cedric reclaim your affections, or will Draco steal your heart for good?
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Reader, Cho Chang/Cedric Diggory, Cho Chang/Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy & Reader, Draco Malfoy/Reader, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 90





	1. Finally Home

**Author's Note:**

> BTW: Y/N's last name is Silverhorn!

“Harry!” You pulled the boy into a hug, having to pull yourself on your tiptoes. He’d gown more than just a few inches over the summer holiday. He hugged Hermione and Ron, a perplexed expression still heavy on his face. The bedroom was silent. 

“I’m so sorry we haven’t written Harry, we wanted to, it's just-” you started, being interrupted by Hermione. 

“Dumbledore made us promise not to tell you.” 

Harry’s brows knit together further, “Dumbledore?” he mumbled

“We wanted to mate, we really did! Dumbledore didn’t want it to get intercepted.” Ron looked sheepishly up at Harry, a blush tinging his cheeks, making his freckles stand out even more. 

“He thought…” you sighed, “He thought it would be safest this way.”

“Right. Safest. With the dementors” 

And so You, Ron, and Hermione explained what Dumbledore had told you to a less than pleased Harry. You couldn’t blame him for being upset. He’d just been attacked by dementors in front of a Muggle right after he watched Cedric fall into a deep coma. Cedric was all but dead, so deep and far gone, Madam Pomfrey wasn’t even sure he was  _ alive _ when she first saw him.

Soon, Mrs. Weasley was at the door, calling the four of you, plus Fred and George down to dinner. 

While Sirius and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley debated Harry’s future, you got to talking to Hermione and Ginny. They were your two closest girl friends in Gryffindor as they were the only ones who understand your specific brand of “ _ boy trouble _ .” It was less about snogging and dates and more about at least one of your best friends nearly dying every other month. 

After Lupin and Sirius finished being cryptic about some “weapon,” they turned their attention to you. They’d been friends with your father in school. Your mother didn’t attend Hogwarts, instead going to the all girls school, Beauxbatons. They asked you how he and your mother were faring. You filled them in as best you could, only fibbing when necessary. They didn’t need the gory details about your relationship with your family, Especially not while Harry’s fate at Hogwarts hung in the balance. 

In the morning you all awoke, a sense of faux cheer hung in the air. 

“Good morning, dear! Did you sleep well? ” cooed Mrs. Weasley, her motherly appeal trying to calm the boy’s nerves. 

Harry groaned softly, rubbing his forehead again. It was clear he had been as his entire forehead was tinged pink, almost like a sunburn. “No, my scar kept hurting.” 

The adults exchanged silent glances but even you understood what that meant. 

The dark lord. 

Before Harry left with Mr. Weasley, you and Hermione pulled him into a tight hug. Hermione reassured him of the laws. She’d been up all hours researching. 

“Why does he get a hug?” murmured Ron, envy peaking through his tone. 

“When your life at Hogwarts is in the air and you have a trial at the Ministry, I’ll hug you then too.” You replied coolly, smirking at Mrs.Weasley and Ginny. 

“It just doesn’t seem fair, ya know,” mumbled Ron further, “To hug one mate more than another, I mean.”

“Do you want a hug Ronald?” teased Hermione. You glanced between the two, tension palpable. 

Harry leaves as the two continue to tease each other.

You went with Ginny into the kitchen, asking her what she would want to do today and if she’d gotten all her books for the next term. She had. So you just gossiped amongst yourselves until Hermione finished her squabbling with Ron. She walked in the room with a slight flush, but neither you nor Ginny mentioned it. 

“Sooo,” drawled the youngest Weasley, “Y/N, do  _ you _ have your eyes on anyone right now?” This piqued Hermione’s interest. They were too involved in your love life.    
You smiled and rolled your eyes. “No, not really.” But you knew that wasn’t fully true. You’d had the biggest crush on Cedric before he got hurt, and some of those feelings still lingered. But even if he was conscious, he was with Cho. He wasn’t yours to miss. 

The rest of the night continued the same way, giggling and teasing as the Order anxiously awaited Harry’s verdict. 

After Harry's arrived back at the Order’s headquarters, Ron, Hermione and yourself received your badges, labeling you three as prefects. Harry didn’t get one. 

You wanted to comfort him, but you didn’t even know what to say. His sad eyes followed the three of you out of the room, breaking your heart. But, you were all to board the Hogwarts express once again, and soon return to school. You hoped that would lift Harry’s spirits. He deserved just as much. 

While on the train, you ran into someone you’d hoped you wouldn't have to see again, at least until you reached the castle. Draco Malfoy. A new Slytherin Prefect. Because of-fucking-course he was. 

“Look here, a couple of blood-traitors and a mud-blood! As prefects! Imagine that.” He called from an open train car. The room was full of other Slytherin’s, but he was all you saw. His eyes met yours. His pink lips curled into a mischievous smirk, his tongue darting out to wet them. You gulped but still didn’t allow him to bother you. But, something about him  _ was  _ different. His hair was longer, his cheekbones more defined and you swore he grew. He was handsome, as much as you hated to admit it. But not handsome enough to compensate for his terrible personality. So you waved him off and sat with Hermione and Ron for the remainder of the train ride. The three of you mostly fretted over Harry, but still managed to work up some banter about the upcoming term. 

You climbed off the train after meeting Harry, now running late because you didn’t want to leave him behind. He felt bad enough not being a prefect. No need to rub it in. 

Malfoy had managed to get another jab in at you and your friends but you couldn’t be bothered to care too deeply, you were just worried about Harry. He was one of your best friends, and no pure blood pretentious asshat would stop you from being there for him.

“Aye! Watch it ya twat,” you called off after him, ignoring the snickers of Goyle and Pansy. He pulled up short, 

turning around once again to address you. His cold grey eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. 

“Or what,  _ Silverthorn _ ?” He spat, “ You going to cry and tell Dumbledore?” 

You grit your teeth. There was  _ something _ about Malfoy that truly dug under your skin, he creeped into your mind and seemed to chip away at your sanity. You hated when he insulted Hermione, or any muggle-born magical folk. It was pure-bloods like him that drove you absolutely mad. You were also a “pure-blood” but you couldn’t give a rat’s ass. That’s why the Malfoy’s hated your family, as they not only sided against he-who-shall-not-be-named, but they avidly protected non-pure blooded people. The Malfoy’s never forgave your parents for threatening to turn them in for being death eaters. So now the two of you hated each other too, not that Malfoy got along with almost anyone anyways. 

“No, Malfoy, but I will shove your wand so far up your arse you’ll-” 

You saw Harry step off the train and you followed Ron and Hermione as they rushed to catch up with him. 

“Damn blond prick,” you mumbled as you made your way to the carriages. 

The only ride left was with “Looney” Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw from the year below you. While Harry was interested in whatever was pulling the cart, you couldn’t care less, climbing into the carriage, hunger creeping up on you. You let out a sigh of relief nearly mirroring Ron’s as the carriage took off towards the castle. 

Home at last. 

* * *

Once inside the great hall, you sat anxiously, awaiting Dumbledore’s annual speech that preceded the dinner. 

“Good evening, children,” Greeted the headmaster, “Now, we have two changes in staffing this year.

We're pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank... who'll be taking Care of Magical Creatures... while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave.

We also wish to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... Professor Dolores Umbridge.And I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing the professor good luck. Now, as usual, our caretaker, Mr.Filch, has asked me to remind you…”

As Dumbledore spoke, you noticed Harry growing agitated. You nudged him to ask what’s wrong. 

“She was at my hearing. She works for Fudge.”

You glared up at the small woman covered head to toe in the most obnoxious shade of pink you’d ever seen, as she interrupted Dumbledore. 

“The Ministry of Magic has always considered... the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance.Although each headmaster... has brought something new to this historic school... progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged.Let us preserve what must be preserved... perfect what can be perfected... and prune practices that ought to be prohibited.” Her voice was high pitched, like nails on a chalkboard. That was a muggle phrase you’d hear Hermione use, and now you finally understood it. 

You really only understood two things from that night’s speeches. One: Magic is forbidden in the corridors. And two, The Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts.

* * *

After everyone was dismissed, you went back to your room before the other’s feeling knackered and just wanting to sleep. The summer had been absolutely draining and you were ready for some routine. 

Your parents were well meaning, you knew that, but they never really understood  _ how _ to parent. You were left alone for most of your life, your parents too busy with their careers to bother raising a child. You were even sent to boarding schools before Hogwarts. Anything to get you out of their hair. 

You saw Hermione later who’d told you about Seamus and Harry’s scuffle in the common room. You rolled your eyes but still grew anxious. What were you meant to do when the dark lord was back and no one believed it? 

“I can’t believe they just called him a liar like that,” Hermione said, fiddling with the hem of her duvet. She must’ve been really bothered as she hardly ever fidgets. 

“It  _ was _ a low blow for them to bring up Cedric too, they must know how terribly guilty Harry feels. And to think they think _ he  _ did it?  _ On purpose _ ? Utterly ridiculous.”

Hermione nodded and climbed into bed, mumbling something about needed sleep before her classes. You hoped she wasn’t planning on using the time turner again. You couldn’t manage the chaos a second time around. You then also tucked in and swiftly fell asleep. 

You woke up some time in the middle of the night, sensing something was wrong. You couldn’t shake the feeling and decided to take a walk to the astronomy tower to clear your mind. That’s where you found Harry. 

“Hey,” he said meekly, obviously still bothered by his fight with Seamus. “How’d you know I was here?” 

You smiled softly and shrugged. It had always been this way since you met Harry. You just  _ knew _ when he was in trouble or even upset about something. You always joked it was your sixth sense, to which Hermione laughed at you. Apparently that was the name of some Muggle movie.    
  


You sat next to him, reaching out and stroking Hedwig who’d been keeping him company. “Are you okay Harry?” You asked without meeting his eyes, still petting the owl. “Like, really okay?”

You heard him sigh and saw the outline of his shoulders slump. “No.” He grumbled, ashamed to admit it. 

You turned to meet his eyes. “I know,” you said then rested your head on his shoulder, and he rested his head atop yours. And you sat, taking in each other’s presence and watched the star’s until the sun began to peak out from behind the clouds. 

“What a way to start the term,” you joked as the two of you quietly left the tower. 

Unfortunately, as you were almost back to the common room, you ran into the blond haired bugger once again. 

“Leaving a late night rendezvous, Potter?” he asked, his voice nearly venomous. He looked in between the pair of you suspiciously. While you knew you and Harry would never ever be a couple, he was more like a brother than anything, the idea blatantly incestuous, the suggestive glint in Malfoy’s eyes told you what he suspected. 

Due to the gender breakdowns in your friend group, people always suspected dating drama, but there was none of that. At least not with each other. Harry was into Cho, Hermione was always too busy for guys, I’d had a thing for Cedric for years, and Ron liked any woman with a pulse. 

Angered by his attitude, you stepped in. Normally you’d let Harry deal with a simple-minded prick like Malfoy, but not today. Not in front of you. 

“Nope! Actually, I’m his prefect and I was just taking him to Madam Pomfrey. He isn’t feeling well.” You said confidently, lying easily as a smug smirk graced your lips. 

Malfoy didn’t have a response and just sulked off, muttering. By Merlin’s beard, you’d seen more of the blond arse in the past day than you could stand in a month. 

You turned to Harry and smiled again, but he didn’t return your grin. 

He stomped off, all but growling as he left. “I don’t need you to fight my battles, Y/N.”

You stood alone in the hallway, shocked and hurt. 

After the stinging in your chest faded you meekly made your way to the dorms, not wanting to move too quickly and risk catching up to Harry.

Once inside, you got into your uniform, angrily tightening your tie. You were mad but not because Harry angered you, but because he hurt you. 

Heading down to breakfast, you filled Hermione in on the night’s events, and she agreed. Harry has been acting stranger than usual lately, which was saying something. She posed it was likely due to the stress of the ministry hearing combined with the events of the Triwizard tournament. You reluctantly agreed. 


	2. The Start of the Pink Terror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You experience your first class with Professor Umbridge and someone asks a strange favour of you.

Almost everyone had arrived on time for defense against the dark arts with the new professor. Actually everyone had, everyone except Harry. 

When he finally rushed into the room, mumbling some apology for Professor Umbridge as he made his way to his seat he refused to meet your eyes. 

The Gryffindors groaned when she took five points for his tardiness but you couldn’t pay him or anyone else much mind. 

You caught yourself glancing over at the blonde across the room, Draco. Gryffindors had defense against the dark arts, as well as many other classes, with Slytherin this year. At first you were annoyed, not wanting to deal with the lot of them. But now, as you practically gawked at Malfoy, you couldn’t remember why you minded so much. You were sitting next to Ron who had to nudge your shoulder when Umbridge began to give instructions. 

“You good, mate?” He whispered as Hermione argued with the professor about the course aims. You lifted your head just slightly, nodding in the affirmative while you coped the notes. 

“What about Lord Voldemort?” asked Harry. The class collectively gasped. Never had people been so bold to say  _ his _ name like that. This even caught your attention, jerking your head up to watch Harry. 

“...It is a lie.” The pink lady said cooly. There was something off about her, you noticed as she fought with Harry. She was oddly toad-like. Her eyes were too big and slightly protruding… it was unsettling to look at. 

“It is  _ NOT _ a lie!” Harry shouted, grabbing the attention of the few who hadn’t already looked up. He was angry, his chest heaving and a flush creeping up his neck and ears. 

You frantically looked around the room. This was not the place to have this argument, and everyone knew it. You shared a nervous look with Hermione, who was pulling on Harry’s trouser leg, trying to get him to let it go and sit down. He was only going to make things worse. 

By the end of the specital, Harry had earned himself a week’s worth of detentions and lost ten house points. He stormed out of the room, all but ripping the Professor’s note for McGonagall from her wrinkly little hand. 

The three of you wanted to follow Harry but knew it wouldn’t help, especially not after the way he’d acted towards you after the run in with Malfoy that morning. Harry was in a bad headspace and it seemed no one could help him. 

The door slammed with a pronounced  _ clang _ after Harry left. The room was eerily silent, everyone just looking around at each other. No one, including your friends, had seen him this way. 

“Now then,” said the professor, smoothing her hair under the small pink hat and then the front of her skirt. She still boasted a condescending smile, which only emphasizes the reptilian nature of her features. 

The rest of class went well, considering. You were not a fan of Umbridge nor her “ministry approved” curriculum, but you didn’t do anything but what was requested by her. Your whole friend group shouldn’t be on her bad side on the first day. 

“Oi! Silverhorn!” 

You turned to see who called your name. You’d just walked out of the pink terror’s classroom with Ron and Hermione set on finding Harry. 

The call came from none other than the prick who’d been all too present in your thoughts since you saw him on the prefect’s train car. 

Malfoy. 

As you turned to look at him, your friends took a defensive stance, but you waved them off. You didn’t need any more problems today. You looked at Malfoy, eyebrows raised in a silent question. 

He smirked and slowly raised his hand, his fore and middle finger beckoning you in a ‘come hither’ motion. You rolled your eyes but obliged. 

“What do you want, Malfoy?” you asked coldly, hands on your hips. 

He smirked, his soft lips pulling up at one corner. Merlin, you loathed that smirk. It was so damned attractive, a warmth pricking your cheeks. Why did such a handsome pace have to be attached to such an asshole?

His grey eyes just watched your face as you stood waiting for an answer?

“Malfoy?” You were getting frustrated. He was wasting your time. 

He cleared his throat, a small blush kissing his fair cheeks. “I was wondering if you would, um,” he finally met your eyes, “If you would tutor me in Astronomy?”

Your mouth opened, jaw falling slack. Draco Malfoy just asked you for help. You just stared at him with widened eyes, confused and surprised. 

“So...?” He prompted, clearly growing flustered by your silence. 

This brought you back to your senses, and you ran your fingers through your hair. 

“I mean, sure?”

His eyes brightened, and his cocky attitude returned just as fast as it had left. He began sauntering away with a nod. 

“I’ll send you an owl.”

You stood in place for a few moments, blinking yet unmoving. When Hermione called your name, you turned though still speechless. 

“What did the snake want?” Ron asked, as the three of you went looking for Harry. You started towards the common room. 

“Oh, um he just wanted to know if I’d tutor him in astronomy,” you mumbled softly, pushing hair behind your ears. 

“Malfoy? Asked  _ you _ to tutor him?” Hermione interjected, incredulously. Her implication stung. You may not be as weirdly talented like Harry or as studious as Hermione but you weren’t  _ bad  _ in classes. In fact, astronomy was probably one of your best courses. 

“Yes,” you sniffed, not letting the hurt show, “He asked me. Don’t worry tho, it’s probably just a prank.” That seemed to satisfy your friends. 

* * *

When you found Harry, he was in the Gryffindor common rooms, as you’d suspected, and he looked pitiful. He was sulking off in a corner, ignoring the busy room around him. 

The three of you sat next to him in a semicircle, blocking off the invasive onlookers. 

Hermione was all in on bitching about Umbridge, she was pissed that she’d have to take the OWLs under her instruction. 

Just as Hermione and Ron were getting into the possibility of the professor being a spy for the ministry, a girl stormed up to Harry. She was mad that Harry’s detention was during Quidditch practice. You rolled your eyes. People could be so selfish. 

Later that night, you and Ron began your report for Snape’s class while Harry was at detention. Hermione seemed almost too anxious to study, which was odd. Her favorite pastime seemed to be studying. 

You were writing your report over the Amortentia potion. It was a love potion but you just couldn't ‘t wrap your head around it. The effects it had… they didn’t make sense. Not to mention the recipe was aggravatingly complicated. You groaned internally at the idea of asking Snape for his help with this potion. 

You never really had much luck with love. You’d had a crush on Harry before you met him, as did almost every witch. He was the boy who lived, like a mythical celebrity. But the only real crush you’d had was Cedric, a Hufflepuff from the year before yours. He was kind and handsome and he made you laugh. Unfortunately, even before the dark lord put him in what seemed like a never ending coma, Cho had asked him out before you had the chance. You liked to think he liked you too, before he dated Cho, but you knew that was probably just wistful thinning, Much of your fourth year was marked by wishful thinking and hopeless pining, much like Harry was with Cho. Except he could pursue her now, despite her boyfriend being in a coma. At least  _ she  _ was conscious. 

As you sat thinking about love and romance, you couldn’t get one face out of your mind, the face of the boy you never thought you could even have a positive thought about much less… whatever it was you were feeling. Malfoy. 

In the middle of your mental argument about the stupid Slytherin's attractiveness, you felt a pit form in your stomach. Dread. Something was wrong with Harry, you just knew it. 

“Something’s wrong,” you stated, looking up from your assignment. 

“You can say that again,” Ron whined. He gestured to his parchment which was littered with misspellings.  Amoretenteas .  Anorertentia .  Amortrentia . Amortentia. 

“No, Ronald, something with Harry.” He rolled his eyes to that, returning to his parchment, muttering curses mixed with Harry and Snape's names. 

Hermione told you to stay put, that you shouldn’t interfere. He was with a teacher, he’d be safe. You, again, reluctantly agreed. 

That night, as you were preparing to go to bed, exhausted from the day, you received a note from an owl. It was huge, especially compared to yours. You had a miniature scops owl, like Ron’s. He was tiny, unlike the Eagle-Owl before you. It’s feathers resembled horns atop it’s head. You fed it a treat after retrieving the letter, and shocked him off. 

You opened the small, neatly folded piece of parchment slowly. You knew who it was from, but the longer you waited to read the note, the longer you could pretend Malfoy, and your reluctant but growing attraction to him, didn’t exist. 

**_Meet me in the astronomy dower after dusk._ **

**_-D_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> I hope you enjoy this story so far! It IS a slow-burn of sorts.   
> And I rlly am sorry for not updating my Kylo fics and the Steve fic. I will soon, I promise, but I have been utterly uninspired to write for them lately and I want to give you all the best I can. Thank you for being patient  
> <3   
> B


	3. The Grey Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You sneak out to tutor Draco, but he's not acting like himself. Meanwhile, Harry is dealing with Umbridge.

You watched the small digital clock on Hermione’s nightstand slowly countdown to your meeting with Draco. You were sitting alone in the dorm room. You wouldn’t dream of telling Hermione your plan’s for the evening. She hated Malfoy more than even Harry did, which you understood. If someone dedicated their life to throwing slurs your way you would hate them too. Nevertheless, once the sun was clearly hidden behind the horizon, you slipped out of your room and as silently as possible, you tiptoed down the stairs, astronomy book in tow. 

You made your way out of the common room relatively unnoticed- friends and strangers alike sat around the fireplace laughing and paid you no mind. You spotted Ron and Hermione, who were likely waiting on Harry to be finished with detention. Navigating the halls to avoid Flitch was slightly more difficult but even then as long as you had your wand, you could perform Evanesco until he left… you think. You’d never tried it before on yourself, but no time but the present. 

Hoisting yourself up the final step, you entered the tower. The large circular room before you seemed even more beautiful in the shadows, only the small light from your wand illuminating the way. Small blurry shapes bounced off of the walls. It was a peaceful place to be. Until-

“Hey there, Cinderella.”

The voice called out from the dark portion of the room. Flipping around, a small shriek emanating from your lips. The light from your wand flickered in your anxiety, but still illuminated the source of the voice. 

The icy-blond hair shone under your light. Draco. 

“Merlin’s Beard! You scared me half to death,” you shook your head at him still trying to calm your heart, “And why did you call me Cinderella? I wouldn’t think you’d be fond of _muggle_ films Malfoy,” you smirked at his dimly lit frame in the darkness. You recognized the same from the week you spent with the Grangers, Hermione had shown you all her favorite movies. 

He scoffed. “Oh please. Those barbarians stole the story from us anyways.”

“That still doesn’t explain my new ‘nickname’,” You said, your voice holding a tone you couldn’t quite place.

“Because,” he started moving closer to you, “You’re running around a castle at night, clock ticking, magic all around. It’s suiting.” 

You met his grey eyes, his body now much closer to you. His grey eyes caused Cedric's own grey eyes to flicker in your memory, but you shook away the thought. No reason to get teary eyed in front of Malfoy. You cleared your throat, a strange electricity humming in your veins. 

“It’s not even midnight, it's barely even seven-thirty,” you mumbled, trying to will away the small flush on your cheeks, “But alright Malfoy, whatever you say. Let’s just get started on this astronomy work, yeah? Some of us had to watch quidditch tryouts this morning and would like to sleep.” He smirked at that, but pulled out his textbook all the same. 

The two of you spent the next few hours in the tower, the very stars you were studying shining brightly all around. And surprisingly, the time you spent with Draco wasn’t entirely unpleasant. More than once you even caught yourself laughing at something he said or staring at the small crease between his eyebrows when he was thinking intently. He never acted like this before, he was almost _nice_. 

Some small part of you hoped maybe this would be the start of a friendship with Malfoy. He was one of the only people who understood what growing up in a family like yours was like. 

The Silverthorn’s and the Malfoy’s have a long but similar history, both being part of the small group of pure-bloods. Personally, you didn’t care either which way someone’s blood line was, just on _who_ they were, and that was a growing sentiment in your family. The Malfoy’s however, were still very particular about the “ _right sort of people,_ ” and the only way to be “right” was to be a pure-blood. 

But despite the differences, you thought Malfoy would understand the pressure you felt to succeed, to be great. Hermione and Harry grew up in the muggle world, and Mr. Weasley loved muggles so much he’d never dare look down on them, nor allow his children to do so. Your friends tried to be supportive and understanding, they really did, but just as you’d never understand Harry’s struggles, they would never understand yours. Draco might. 

You finished with Malfoy about three hours after the sun had set, the two of you exchanging quiet partings before shuffling off to your respective dorms. You mumbled the password praying your words weren’t slurring too much. It was nearing midnight and you were tired. 

“Mimbulus Mimbletonia,” you stated as clearly as you could, the exhaustion finally seeping into your bones. You climbed inside, and much to your surprise, you saw your friends still sitting in the common room. Their eyes flashed to the door, no doubt searching for Harry. All eyes, but Hermione and Ron’s left your figure, returning to their conversations. 

“Hi guys,” you muttered softly, going to sit next to them. 

“Where were you?” Hermione inquired, “I thought you were in the room but Neville said he saw you leave?” 

You blinked quickly for a moment, trying to come up with a clever lie. You settled for being as truthful as you could...without mentioning Draco. “I was just studying in the astronomy tower. You know how much I love the view of the stars there.” 

The ridge between her eyebrows softened and she relaxed, clearly satisfied by your answer. “Good. The O.W.L.S are this year, I’m glad you also started studying. Ron seems to think he can wing it, but clearly he is wrong.” At the mention of his name, Ron got sucked into a debate with Hermione, while you sat and tried to act engaged all while keeping Draco’s confusion behavior out of your mind. 

You caught bits and pieces of their argument, mostly that Ron thought since he was now a Keeper on the quidditch team, he doesn’t recon he’ll need school anymore and Hermione listed all the reasons she thought he was wrong. Today had been such a long day, you’d nearly forgotten the tryouts. You hadn’t tried out, much too worried about the O.W.L.S but you went to support Ron and the twins. 

About thirty minutes after you’d arrived, the door swung open once again, this time with Harry’s slumped figure inside the doorway. 

He looked bloody horrible, but literally bloody. Ron shoots up to tell him the good news of his position on the team but just as soon as the words left his mouth, everyone on the room noticed how _wrong_ Harry looked. His hand clutched his forehead, where his scar was, but his other hand lay limp at his side, bloody. 

As he fell Ron yelled out, “Bloody-hell!”

The twins and Hermione rushed to his side, while you just stood shocked, and angry. You _knew_ you should’ve trusted your gut feeling that something was wrong. Harry explained what happened with Umbridge, how she had this enchanted quill, but you weren’t paying attention. You just watched sadly as Harry stormed off into his room. The room was silent for a long time before Ron spoke up. 

“Alright, quit standing about. Off to bed.” And for once, everyone listed and went to bed. 

* * *

You awoke to a new copy of The Daily Prophet being dropped on your head. You sleepily handed Owl some treats, and flopped over to skim the paper. You subscribed when you saw how many lies they’d been printing about Harry. You didn’t like what they were saying, but you felt it might be important for him to at least be aware of the public perception. You gave it to Hermione when she woke up, she liked to read the paper at breakfast. You felt heavy today, you didn’t sleep well. You don’t remember much but two pairs of grey eyes watching you, waiting for you to make a choice. It was unsettling, but quickly forgotten. You didn’t have the time to fret today. 

You rolled your eyes at the print, wishing Rita Skeeter, the author, would just leave Harry alone, but sales are sales. 

The rest of your morning went as expected, you and Hermione waited for Ginny then went down to breakfast, meeting the boys there. 

In the great hall, you were distracted-again. Thoughts raced in your mind, some about Harry, some about your classes but mostly your mind had two sets of grey eyes from your dream.Despite the color, the eyes had nothing else in common. The first set of grey eyes were warm and bright, they were lit up like they were laughing. The other eyes were harder, sadder. Their presence confused you, but once you accidentally made eye contact with someone across the room, you placed the eyes. They were Draco’s and Cedric’s eyes. Why you dreamt of Malfoy’s eyes was a mystery, but the presence of Cedric in your dreams was not uncommon. 

You’d dreamt of Cedric before, often reliving a memory. Usually the memories were older, before he dated Cho, before the tournament, when he was _just_ _Cedric_. You’d met him when he was assigned to tutor you, and since then you’d been great friends. You wished for more but he didn’t feel the same way.

You only noticed you were crying when Harry got up to send his letter, you guessed it was for Sirius. You sniffled and wiped your eyes. You felt foolish, crying over a boy who wasn’t even yours. But even still you loved him and he was gone. Even though he was not dead it felt as if he was. He was gone from your world, lost in a seemingly endless sleep. You could only imagine how Cho felt. 

You turned to Ginny, who stopped laughing with her other friend’s when she saw your face. “Oh, dear,” she hummed. Though she was a spitfire, you still saw loving traces of Molly in her eyes, “Cedric?” 

You nodded lamely. She’d caught you crying over him more than once. She knew the feeling. She’d been practically in love with Harry her whole life, but he never saw her as more than Ron’s little sister. She prided herself of not being very weepy, but with you, very late at night, she’d let out a few tears. Through and through, she understood how you felt, even more so now with Harry’s crush on Cho. 

“Go on,” she said, “I heard he’s back in the infirmary. I’m sure Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t mind if you visited?” 

You harshly rubbed your cheeks again. “Yeah, maybe you're right,” 

Hugging Ginny quickly, you left with a small goodbye to your friends and made your way to the infirmary, completely unaware of the grey eyes that followed you.

Halfway down the hallway you heard footsteps. You assumed it was one of your friends checking on you. 

“I’m fine, really I’m-” you turned around, words stopping. Draco was following you. His normally cold glare was softer, lighter. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but instead just turned on his heel and went back into the great hall. 

_What the hell?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Don't be afraid to reach out!  
> My inta is @momjeansenthusiast and my tiktok is @momjeansenthusiastwrites  
> <3  
> B


	4. Confounding Variables

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m really stressed Ced. This new professor is proper mad, and Harry is all in his head and only wants to talk to his godfather, and Draco was acting so weird… God Ced. It would be so much easier if you were here.”  
> You stared at his lifeless figure on the cot, his normally broad shoulders looking withered and weak from lack of use.   
> Brushing his floppy brown hair from his forehead, you bent down to place a soft kiss there. 
> 
> Any trace of meekness in Malfoy vanished, his confidence taking over again. He strode closer to you, leaning down to whisper in your ear. His cheek was flush with yours.   
> “Good morning, princess,” then he turned and left, just like yesterday. You watched as he wordlessly strode away. Your brain felt scrambled, coherent thoughts not quite breaking through the dam. You mind replaying “princess” over and over again.

You had spent a better part of the morning in the infirmary with Cedric. He still hadn’t woken up, but being with him made you feel better. Almost as if he was there with you too. You sat in silence a lot of the times you were there, not wanting to disturb other patients but whenever you were alone with him, you would talk to him. 

“I’m really stressed Ced. This new professor is proper mad, and Harry is all in his head and only wants to talk to his godfather, and Draco was acting so weird… God Ced. It would be  _ so _ much easier if you were here.”

You stared at his lifeless figure on the cot, his normally broad shoulders looking withered and weak from lack of use. Your bottom lip quivered. 

Brushing his floppy brown hair from his forehead, you bent down to place a soft kiss there. The skin was cool to the touch. You sighed heavily and left, deciding you should at least attend some of your classes today. 

Transfiguration and DADA were all you had left for the day. You knew McGonogall wouldn't question your absence from the previous classes but you weren’t sure about Umbridge. 

You were right. 

Upon entering her classroom, the pink professor called your name. 

“Ms. Silverthorn, I heard from many other professors you were absent from their classes. Do you have an explanation?” Her high pitch voice rang in your ears.

“Yes, Ma’am. I was in the infirmary…” You prayed she didn’t ask for clarification. 

She did. 

“Oh, dear. Are you feeling better?” Her pink lips were smirking as if she had caught you in a lie, which in all fairness, she had. But you refused to give her the satisfaction of punishing you. 

“It's…  _ personal _ , Ma’am.” 

“I don’t have all day, Ms.Silverthorn. You can tell me now or in deten-”

You were saved when Harry burst in the doors, Hermione and Ron in tow. Thank Merlin.

“Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Mr.Weasley. You’re late.” She spent the next few minutes chastising them while you thanked your lucky stars she was leaving you alone. You weren’t feeling up to explaining why you were sat with someone else’s boyfriend's unconscious body all morning. 

You caught up with your friends after Quidditch practice. You spent most of the time trying not to laugh at Ron or telling Hermione about your morning with Cedric. 

While walking back to the castle, the boys caked in mud, Hermione was trying to make you feel better while Rob was moaning to Harry about his quidditch abilities. 

“Has another boy caught your eye, since Cedric I mean?” She asked. 

You were about to deny it until Draco and his friends rounded the corner. 

“Hey Weasley! Nice job out on the field today! You’ll be our best player on the pitch!” His friends found that amusing they were all laughing like hyenas. 

You stayed silent, eyeing Draco. You were still confused about him following you out of the great hall earlier that morning. 

“Get bent, Malfoy!” Harry shot back. Malfoy and his friends laughed and walked away, but as they left you could swear you felt eyes watching you. 

Ron continued to moan about his insecurities. You didn’t understand it, though. Ron wasn’t  _ bad _ by any means but he was so worried about being bad he wasn’t playing as well as he would normally. 

Harry gasped and rubbed his scar. 

“Are you alright, Harry?” Hermione asked while you touched his shoulder. 

“Yeah, just… the pain is getting stronger.” The three of you exchanged worried looks and headed back to the common room.

You were poured over your potions book, the words blurring and making no sense. You loathes the subject. The fact that Snape taught it didn’t help either. 

“That foul, evil, old gargoyle. We're not learning how to defend ourselves. We're not learning how to pass our OWLs. She's taking over the entire school!” Hermione slammed her book shut, catching your attention again. 

“We aren’t going to learn anything in that class,” she groaned. 

Harry shrugged, “Yeah, that's true.” 

You let out a heavy sigh in agreement. 

Hermione went silent for a moment before looking up, as if she’d figured out some great riddle. 

“We should do it ourselves.”

“Do what?” Ron asked, still pouting after practice. 

“Defense Against the Dark Arts,” you answered, before turning back to Hermione, smiling at the glint of mischief in her eyes, “But Hermione you seriously believe we can teach ourselves?” You asked incredulously. 

She shrugged, “Why not?”

Then an owl came for Ron, a letter from Percy. You did not miss  _ that _ particular Weasley. He’d always lecture you about going into the boy’s dormitory, but you were eleven. You didn’t begin to care. You just wanted to see your friends. 

After Ron read his ridiculous letter, he went to burn it in the fireplace. It was Sirius. 

The ministry was worried the students were forming some sort of army led by Dumbledore, which was ridiculous. 

“That’s why they won’t teach us defense against the dark arts!” 

“Exactly,” said Sirius’ burning image, “They don’t want you trained in combat. Fudge is getting more and more paranoid about the “army” everyday.”

The room grew silent, only the sound of the flickering fire to be heard. 

Not long after, Sirius had to leave and the four of you scurried off to your bedrooms. It was late, and if the ministry was spying, you didn’t need to give them any undue ammunition.

That night, you sat sleepless, tossing and turning in your bed. 

“What’s wrong, Y/N?” Asked Hermione, her voice slurred by sleep. 

You sighed. “Nothing just...nothing.”

She must have fallen asleep again because she didn’t press further. 

You woke up once again with the copy of the daily prophet being dropped on your sleeping head. You threw it at Hermione’s bed without looking at it. Too tired. 

Just as you were about to turn back over, you felt the flutter of another letter on your skin. 

**Meet me in the library before divination.**

**Please.**

**-D.M**

You rubbed your eyes harshly, not believing fully what you were reading. What could Malfoy need at  _ this _ hour that he couldn’t ask in the great hall? Regardless, you still reluctantly got up. Better see what he wants alone than worry about him pissing off your friends anymore than before. Plus, he had to answer why he’d been avoiding you since the astronomy tower and when he ran from you outside the great hall.

You got dressed, pulling on your Mother’s old Gryffindor quidditch jumper. She was a keeper. You then tugged on a pair of blue jeans and your white trainers and robe then shuffled off to the library. Your hair was a total mess and you didn’t bother to put on makeup or anything. If Malfoy needed you  _ so  _ urgently, he’d get you however you came. 

The halls were so quiet this early, it was serene. You let your mind wander on the walk. You supposed Draco needed more help with astronomy again. Perhaps with the twelve inches of parchment on a constellation of our choosing? You thought perhaps not, it wasn’t a difficult assignment, but you couldn’t be sure. Passing past some first year Hufflepuffs, giddily walking to breakfast, shot a pang though your heart. 

You missed Cedric. You missed his smile and his joy, his laugh. You missed how sweet he was to the first years, even when some are utter gits. You were always grateful he was so nice to Harry when his name was pulled for the tournament, even if he was annoyed at first. 

As you were entering the library, you realized what you missed most. His eyes. So grey and bright and-

“Oi! Cinderella,” a voice deep in the shelved whisper yelled to you. 

You turned around a pair of eyes meeting yours. Grey eyes. 

“Malfoy what did you need. It’s early and unlike you some of us try to sleep.” Your eyes caught his deep under eye circles, contrasting his fair skin. 

He smirked, but didn’t insult you back, which was strange. He looked...happy?

You pushed further, “Why’ve you been avoiding me? And why did you run from me yesterday?”

“Listen, Silverthorn I-” Some voices in the library grew closer and Draco stiffened. He gripped your arm and pulled you deeper into the shelves, spinning you around so you were pressed firmly between his chest and the shelf of books behind you. 

Your wide eyes met his, your breathing heavy out of shock. He pressed a slim finger to his lips, shushing you. 

You didn’t know why but you abided. He has you pinned, no point in making a fuss. 

When the voices were far gone, he relaxed and pulled away, pressing his back to the stack across the aisle. His eyes never left yours. 

“So…” You mumbled. 

Any trace of meekness in Malfoy vanished, his confidence taking over again. He strode closer to you, leaning down to whisper in your ear. His cheek was flush with yours. 

“Good morning, princess,” then he turned and left, just like yesterday. You watched as he wordlessly strode away. Your brain felt scrambled, coherent thoughts not quite breaking through the dam. You mind replaying “princess” over and over again. 

Once you were calm again, you made your way to the great hall,  _ needing _ to talk to someone about what just happened. But who?

Hermione, Ron, and Harry were hunched over the copy of the prophet. They are obviously out. They’d probably beat Malfoy up for even breathing near you. 

Your eyes flickered to Ginny who was sitting with Luna and Cho at the Ravenclaw table. You wouldn’t mind talking to Ginny and Luna but things between you and Cho were still awkward. You were in love with her boyfriend and she clearly had a thing for one of your best friends... so no. 

Then you saw the twins. Bingo. They weren’t likely to judge you even if you said you had a cardboard cutout of the dark lord in lingerie… well. Maybe then but certainly not for having strange covert meetings with Malfoy. 

“Good morning, Y/N!” they called in unison. You smiled. You loved when they did that. 

“Mornin’ boys,” you said sitting down. “I have a problem.”

George spoke first, he was always slightly more emotional than his brother, though he’d never admit it. “What’s up?” Fred leaned in as well, indicating he was listening. 

“Let’s say this girl, a Gryffindor perhaps, has met with a boy from Slytherin twice now, secretly. But this time he pushed her into a bookshelf and called her princess… What would you say that girl should do?” You nervously bit your lip, both trying not to laugh at yourself for being so ridiculous and the twins for their expression. Their jaws dropped and immediately they craned their necks behind you, presumably to look for “ _ the Slytherin boy.” _

“Merlin’s beard, Y/N! You’re shaking up with the enemy,” he turned to meet your gaze again, “Very cool.” he winked. 

“Yeah, Y/N. I wouldn't be worried. The boy probably fancies you-” you cut him off, giggling. 

“Hey! How did you know it was me?” George rolled his eyes while Fred grinned wider. “Don’t stress it, love. Just… let it happen?” George finished. 

You smiled and thanked them before getting up to go to Divination, which you had with Slytherin. You may not have any more understating what in Merlin’s beard happened with Draco in the library, but at least the twin’s made you feel better. 

Well, off to face the divination. Maybe Professor Trelawney’s tea leaves could help you figure out what was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> <3   
> B

**Author's Note:**

> HI! I'm so sorry for being MIA, school has been crazy. And I'm sorry for writing this and not updating my other works... you can blame tiktok. 
> 
> <3  
> B


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